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2023 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

15 Ranked Colleges
95 Degrees Awarded
$43,318 Avg Salary
Schools for a Master's Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for students. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking.

Journalism is the 69th most popular major in the country with 13,552 degrees awarded in 2020-2021. In 2019-2020, journalism graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $32,953 and had an average of $23,734 in loans still to pay off.

Across the Great Lakes region, there were 1,618 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $33,946 and $25,109 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 95 journalism graduates with average earnings and debt of $58,892 and $0 respectively.

This year’s “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in journalism. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their journalism program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.

See our ranking methodology to learn more.

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Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for great lakes region master’s degree journalism students.

Top 15 Most Focused Master’s Degree Colleges for Journalism in the Great Lakes Region

1

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend School of the Art Institute of Chicago. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. School of the Art Institute of Chicago is a private not-for-profit institution located in Chicago, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 6 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Journalism at School of the Art Institute of Chicago

2

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Illinois at Springfield. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. UIS is a public institution located in Springfield, Illinois. The school has a small population, and it awarded 4 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Journalism at University of Illinois at Springfield

3
DePaul crest
DePaul University
Chicago, Illinois

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend DePaul University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. DePaul is a large school located in Chicago, Illinois that handed out 18 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at DePaul

4

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Kent State University at Kent. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. Kent State University at Kent is a public institution located in Kent, Ohio. The school has a large population, and it awarded 16 masters’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Full Kent State Journalism Report

5

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Ohio University - Athens Campus. The school came in at #5 for the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region. Ohio University - Athens Campus is a large school located in Athens, Ohio that handed out 19 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at Ohio University - Athens Campus

6
Ball State crest
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana

Ball State University ranked #6 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Ball State University is a large public school situated in Muncie, Indiana. It awarded 7 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Ball State University

7

With a ranking of #7, University of Wisconsin - Madison did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Wisconsin - Madison is located in Madison, Wisconsin and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 13 masters’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 95%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at University of Wisconsin - Madison

8
Michigan State crest
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan

With a ranking of #8, Michigan State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Michigan State University is a large public school situated in East Lansing, Michigan. It awarded 8 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Journalism at Michigan State

9

With a ranking of #9, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Champaign, Illinois is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s journalism degrees to 4 students in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.3% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Journalism Report

10
Columbia crest
Columbia College Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Columbia College Chicago did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking, coming in at #10. Columbia College Chicago is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school situated in Chicago, Illinois. It awarded 43 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read full report on Journalism at Columbia College Chicago

10
Northwestern crest
Northwestern University
Evanston, Illinois

Northwestern University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. This large school is located in Evanston, Illinois, and it awarded 0 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.6% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. With a freshman retention rate of 97%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full Northwestern Journalism Report

10
IU Bloomington crest
Indiana University - Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana

Indiana University - Bloomington came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Indiana University - Bloomington is a large school located in Bloomington, Indiana that handed out 123 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 91%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read more about Journalism at Indiana University - Bloomington

10
Roosevelt crest
Roosevelt University
Chicago, Illinois

With a ranking of #10, Roosevelt University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. Roosevelt University is located in Chicago, Illinois and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 masters’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Journalism at Roosevelt

10

Southern Illinois University Carbondale landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a fairly large public school situated in Carbondale, Illinois. It awarded 28 masters’s journalism degrees in 2020-2021.

Read more about Journalism at SIUC

10

With a ranking of #10, University of Akron Main Campus did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Master’s Highly Focused on Journalism Major in the Great Lakes Region list. University of Akron Main Campus is located in Akron, Ohio and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 0 masters’s journalism degrees to qualified students.

Read more about Journalism at University of Akron Main Campus

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